Image via Complex Original
Is it OK to hate Kobe Bryant because he's so cocky? He effectively chased Shaquille O'Neal out of Los Angeles because of a clash of egos, would stop shooting in crucial games just to prove a point, and straight up told the media "I don't give a fuck what you say." He's also slightly selfish with the ball and will get a coach fired with just a stare. That's all defensible though. After all, to be the best shouldn't you have to believe it? Bryant definitely does, and when we printed "Kobe Bryant doesn't need your love. He just wants to win" on our 2009 cover with him, it was a truthful assessment.
It has been that way since he came in the league fresh out of high school. Determined not to be overlooked by the stars of the waning Golden Era, Bryant impressed many with his eye-grabbing athleticism and raw potential. There's also that will to win, which has led to some of his career's most dubious moments. It has also led to his greatest moments, like that spectacular Game 7 comeback against the Blazers in the 2000 Western Conference Finals and his legendary 81-point performance against the Raptors. He's also earned numerous other distinctions like being the youngest NBA All-Star and Slam Dunk Contest winner.
Bryant has the accolades to prove he's the greatest player in the league since Michael Jordan. A few years down the line, we'll be talking about who's the next best thing to Bryant because his highlights, goofs, and accomplishments stand out on their own. Check out some of his best moments in GIF Gallery: The Best of Kobe Bryant.
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20. Mamba Got Some Serious Hops
Date: 11/20/1996
You got to love it when someone throws a messed up alley-oop only to see it skillfully completed. The pass was thrown too high, but what was supposed to be blown play turned into a chance for the rookie Kobe Bryant to display his freakish leaping ability. It was a precursor of many facials to come.
19. Kobe Bryant Wins Slam Dunk Contest
Date: 2/8/1997
In another one of his accomplishments Kobe Bryant became the youngest ever to win a Slam Dunk contest at the age of 18. Yes, while the rest of us were getting rejected by two-thirds of the colleges we applied to, this dude was setting records.
18. Go Have a Seat, Ben Wallace
Date: October 1997
Wallace got angry at the infamous Malace at the Palace because of that bottled up anger from this game. No one is really emotionally prepared to get that big of a facial during preseason.
17. Kobe Bryant's First All-Star Game...At 19 Years Old
Date: 2/8/1998
Kobe Bryant wasn't just the youngest All-Star in NBA History when he played in 1998. He ended up leading the team with 18 points. Bryant stuntin' and doing 360 dunks.
16. Kobe Bryant to Vincent Yarbrough: "Do Better"
Date: 4/15/2003
Vincent Yarbrough's defensive ineptitude and lack of ability to realize an impending poster led to him being part of this shaming by Kobe. How do you get 360'd on?
15. Buzzer Beating the Blazers
Date: 4/14/2004
The Blazers battled the Lakers for two overtimes only to have Kobe steal their heart at the end with this crazy shot. Talk about a shitty night.
14. The Greatest Kobe/Shaq Moment
Date: 6/4/2000
The Lakers were down by as much as 15 points in their Western Conference Finals game against the Blazers. But of course, Los Angeles came back, which led to the biggest moment of the Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O' Neal dynasty. It was exciting as hell at the time, but sad in retrospect because of the eventual split-up and broken dynasty.
13. Kobe Drops 62 on the Mavericks in Three Quarters
Date: 12/20/2005
Sixty-two points in a game. Thirty points in a quarter. Mind you this was the same Mavericks team who made it to the finals, where they got owned by another offensive force known as Dwyane Wade.
11. No, Fred Jones. Just No.
Date: 1/9/2006
Kobe probably didn't expect Jones to go down that hard judging from the way he just glanced at Jones when he went down.
10. Black Mamba Strikes With 81 Points
Date: 1/22/2006
Kobe Bryant's amazing performance was one of the few times the Raptors have been relevant for the past few years.
9. Bad Luck Nash
Date: 4/26/2006
This would've been a perfect moment for a J.R. soundbite, because Bryant Mick Foley'd Nash here.
8. Kobe Bryant Cancels the Suns
Date: 4/30/2006
The Lakers were 2-1 against the Suns in this 2006 round one playoff matchup. When Kobe Bryant did his usual thing-crushing hopes and dreams-and drained this jumpshot to send his team 3-1, it pretty much looked like the dagger for Phoenix. Joy isn't too far from despair though; the Lakers ended up losing the next three straight for an early exit.
7. Kobe and Team USA Go for Gold
Date: 8/24/2008
The 2008 USA basketball team didn't have that high of a standard to beat after its bronze medal performance in the previous Olympics. The team also had a lot of young players in its roster, which further lowered expections. Kobe Bryant was playing for gold though, so he lead the team through competition and then took over in the gold medal game against Spain. Bryant scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to once again prove the U.S. was the best basketball country in the world.
6. Bryant's 61 Points at MSG
Date: 2/2/2009
There were moments upon moments of struggle for the post-'90s Knicks, and arguably one of the most memeorable among them is their utter inability to contain Kobe Bryant for that one regular season game. Kendrick wasn't the first person to claim the King of New York crown.
5. Not Now, Chris Rock
Date: 6/4/2010
This is either another example of Kobe Bryant's razor sharp mind or he's still mad at Rock for not letting Everybdoy Hates Chris go on for at least another season.
4. Emeka Okafor Wasn't Ready
Date: 4/26/2011
You got to love how Bryant's left hand smacks Okafor right before the poster. It's like that slap you give to a child when you're about to him on timeout. It's fitting because Bryant straight up babied Okafor with this facial.
3. The Black Mamba Vanishes
Date: 4/23/2012
Trollbe Bryant is in the building.
2. What Up, Brooklyn?
Date: 2/5/2013
Kobe Bryant: "'Is Brooklyn in the house?' FOH."
1. The Murder Glare
Date: 11/7/2012
There was a point in the regular season where it looked like Kobe Bryant was more likely to catch a body than make the playoffs.
